The Crushed Soul: What Is Love?
by The Worst Nightmare
Summary: A young, dejected kit is born one night with such horrible deformities. Every cat in her Clan rejects her and refuses to be near her. She has no future. Will she ever find happiness? It is doubted. My first fic, so please be nice!
1. Prologue

**Hey everybody! This is my first fic. I came up with the idea a little while ago and decided to post it on here. I'm going to try to update this story as much as possible, but I'm starting to get more and more homework, so please don't be worried if I don't update for over two days. Please let me know what you think! Here goes!**

Prologue

"What _is_ that wretched...that...that...that _thing_?" A silver queen cried as she gazed down at a brown queen's first kit. "It looks absolutely horrid!"

"I'm amashamed of it as well," the brown she-cat replied. "Look at the way it's paw is twisted!" She pointed with her tail to the kit's front left paw which was twisted clockwise and bent slightly upward. "It will never be able to walk properly!"

"Ratwhisker," the silver queen mewed. "You can't possibly keep it! It'll be of no use! it may not be able to walk at all. It couldn't even be a medicine cat with that sort of disability! You must kill the wretched creature!"

"Silverbrook," Ratwhisker meowed in a low, stern voice. "This kit may be the ugliest thing on earth, but there is no way that you could make me kill her. She is my first born. And even if she were not, I would never ever _ever_ give her up. I would never purposely kill another kit."

"Oh, but look at the way it's nose is squashed!" Silverbrook cried, completely ignoring the young queen. "It won't be able to smell, either!"

"You're right!" Ratwhisker wailed. "And would you just look at how incredibly small she is!"

It was true. The kit was no larger than a young rat.

Ratwhisker sighed. "I suppose you're right, Silverbrook," she mewed. "I really must rid the Clan of this filth, musn't I?"

"It is the only way," Silverbrook replied.

Ratwhisker nodded solemnly. She then unsheathed her claws and raised her paw up into the sky. A heartbeat later she swung it down and sliced herself straight through the chest. All Silverbrook could do was watch the queen as she silently bled to death.


	2. Chapter 1

**Thanks, guys! I never actually expected to get reviews! Since I finished my homework early, I'll try to write two chapters today.**

Chapter 1: Attack!

"Crushedpaw, wake up!" A loud snarl boomed through the apprentices' den. "You lazy lump of foxdung! Get _up_!"

A brown she-cat raised her head and glanced about the den. Standing just outside the entrance, blocking off any sunlight that tried to drift into the dirt hollow, was Phantomheart. His broad shoulders seemed to touch each end of the dirt walls, and his piericng blue eyes bored a hole straight through Crushedpaw as she wobbled onto three paws. One of her front paws dangled uselessy at her side, forever twisted almost all the way around. One of the claws on her twisted paw stuck out at an odd angle, pointing toward the east wall of the den.

"Are we going to train today?" Crushedpaw asked hopefully. There were only a couple of times in her three moons of apprenticeship that she had been taken out to train. Most of the time she was just left alone to spend the day under an aspen somewhere in the middle of the forest. It was a wonder any of the warriors even remembered she existed.

"Oh, StarClan no!" Phantomheart cried. "You were just taking up too much space. I need some place to sleep."

"Why don't you sleep in the warriors' den?" Crushedpaw asked, her words coming out in a slur. For indeed, her crushed, flat face made it difficult for her to speak properly.

"Just go do whatever it is you do, you useless lump of foxdung," Phantomheart muttered, obviously unable to understand his apprentice's words.

Hanging her head, Crushedpaw padded lopsidedly out into the clearing.

"Eeeeeww!" cried Daisypaw, a young golden apprentice cried, leaping to one side as Crushedpaw stepped in front of her. "Get away from me, you deformed freak!"

Crushedpaw just continued to pad along. She was used to their taunts. This wasn't the first time another cat had practically tumbled head over tail at the sight of Crushedpaw's horrendous face.

"Hey, Dungpaw!" another sneered. "You're going to the Gathering tonight!"

Crushedpaw raised her head and glanced at Pinepaw. The oldest apprentice in the Clan, Pinepaw was gorgeous. His silver and gray fur with a black tinge around his muzzle, and his clear, sky blue eyes. They were _adorable_! Even a she-cat as deformed as Crushedpaw had feelings for him. "Do you mean it?" she asked in her usual slurred voice.

"Of course I mean it, mousebrain!" Pinepaw spat. "I mean everything I say."

Crushedpaw nodded, unable to say anything else, then limped as quickly as she possibly could over to the fresh-kill pile. She was going to a Gathering! She had never been to a Gathering! Perhaps she would meet some cats from VaporClan or CloudClan who would at least talk to her. The cats of RoseClan weren't very kind to her. But then, Crushedpaw couldn't really blame them. RoseClan was known for having some of the strongest, most beatiful cats in the whole forest born to them. Crushedpaw was a disgrace to the Clan. Picking up a scrawny vole, the brown she-cat padded over to a small rock which sat in front of a clump of ferns. Silently, the deformed apprentice slipped into the ferns and settled down, leaning against the rock. She took a quick bite out of her meal, swallowed it, then gazed up through a gap in the thickly woven cieling of ferns at the sky. Stringy silver clouds danced around the edges of the small sliver of blue that Crushedpaw saw. A light breeze pushed the clouds along so that they covered up the sky. Sighing, Crushedpaw went back to her vole.

It seemed like only a heartbeat had passed before the sun had begun to set. After finishing her vole, Crushedpaw had dozed off until sunhigh, then spent the remainder of her day in the camp watching the clouds roll across the horizon.

"Crushedpaw!" a voice called. It belonged to the leader, Finchstar. Crushedpaw staggered to her paws and limped out into the clearing. The group that was to attend the Gathering was forming at the camp entrance. As quickly as her twisted paw would allow her, the tiny brown apprentice raced over to the entrance and squeezed her way into the group just as they started to exit the camp.

"Wow!" Crushedpaw cried, gazing around her as Finchstar lead her Clan near the Peace Meadow. The black and white she-cat climbed a small hill and waited for the rest of the group to catch up with her. When Crushedpaw had gotten to the top of the hill, she saw the valley beneath stretch on forever! A river wound through the center, a shimmering blue snake in the setting sun. Not too far from the stream there was a mound of dirt and boulders. Beneath the mound was a steady dip in the meadow. From where she sat, Crushedpaw could see the pointed ears and curvy tails of other cats.

"Is that the Peace Meadow?" Crushedpaw asked. The Peace Meadow was where Gatherings were held at the full moon. On this night, a truce was held between the Clans, so they could exchange news without fighting.

"Of course it's the Peace Meadow, lousy lump of foxdung!" snarled a young warrior named Cedarclaw. "Everybody knows that!"

Crushedpaw shrank back and did not speak another word until they reached the Peace Meadow.

"Cats of all CloudClan and VaporClan!" a voice yowled just as RoseClan stumbled into the clearing. "There are traitors among us!"

Immediately, more cats than Crushedpaw had ever seen in her life gathered around RoseClan, closing them in. Five broad-shouldered, abnormally muscular cats shoved their way into the center of the circle.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!" chanted the cats who stood in the circle.

"Cats of CloudClan and VaporClan!" the voice repeated. "There are traitors among us! RoseClan has betrayed us! They have taken our kits!"

"Kits!" The cats in the circle chanted.

"They have taken our prey!"

"Prey!"

"They have taken our land!"

"Land!"

"And now, it is time to destroy them! _Attack_!" the screech tore through the air and the next thing Crushedpaw knew, the circle of cats closed in among the RoseClan cats. Already they were overtaken with the waves of cats from the other Clans that swept over them. A paw lashed out at the side of Crushedpaw's head. She let it come. She knew that if she didn't fight back, she'd die sooner, and when she died, she wouldn't be a disgrace to her Clan anymore. So when the flash of blood streaked through her vision, she did not cry out. She simply sat still, wating for death to overtake her.


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks again for all the reviews, guys. For those of you who were asking, there are only three Clans at the moment. There might be more soon. Maybe in one of the later chapters, near the end of the book. Ooh! -has a plot idea-**

Chapter 2

Crushedpaw opened her eyes. She was standing. Her front paw didn't hang about in a limp like it usually did. She could use all four paws! She tried to run. Crushedpaw had never run in her entire life, as her paw restricted her from doing that. And her side, which had been bleeding, as she recalled, was perfectly fine! And her scar on her right flank, which had been there since birth, had disappeared. Her face was stretched out, like a regular cat's face. She was a regular cat! She opened her mouth, wanting to try out her speech.

"I love this place!" she hollered. Her words came out clearer than the sky in greenleaf.

"I love it, too," a tender voice whispered. "That is why I have chosen to reside here."

"What?" Crushedpaw mewed, whipping around. "Who said that?" she scanned the meadow in which she now stood. There was nothing in sight but the rolling hills that stretched on as far as Crushedpaw could see.

"My name is Ratwhisker," the voice replied. "I am your mother, Crushedpaw."

"But my mother's dead!" Crushedpaw cried.

"Exactly," Ratwhisker meowed. "This is the Valley of the Dead, where StarClan resides."

"Am _I_ dead?" Crushedpaw asked.

"Oh, StarClan no!" Ratwhisker purred. "But I have a message to deliver to you." Without hesitation, the voice continued. "_The night of the Rose, the soul that is crushed. Dusk will fall upon the Clans. But the love of a true friend will bring the light back._"

"The love of a true friend," Crushedpaw growled. "Right. I don't _have_ any friends!"

"Oh," Ratwhisker mewed. "But you will!"

"Why did you make me a normal cat if I'm not even dead?" Crushedpaw asked.

"I wanted you to know what it would feel like when you came to join us here." Ratwhisker replied. "I don't want my own daughter to feel uncomfortable when she died."

Crushedpaw shook with anger. "Why can't I just die now?" she growled. "I don't _want_ to live any longer! I want to be happy!"

"Happiness is right under your nose," Ratwhisker meowed simply.

Crushedpaw looked down. "I can't see it!" she cried. "Wait, please tell me more!" But her dream was already starting to dissolve. The Valley of the Dead disappeared, and the brown she-cat was left in complete blackness.

Crushedpaw sat straight up in her nest. A sudden tingle of pain lanced through her, and she hissed sharply.

"Calm down," a voice meowed. "You're alright. You just got a bit banged up there. You'll be fine in a few days."

"Mossflower?" Crushedpaw mumbled. Mossflower was the medicine cat of RoseClan, and the only cat who did not speak harshly to her.

"I'm right here," Mossflower replied. Crushedpaw turned her head to see the silver she-cat standing in the entrance to the medicine den. Mossflower was Silverbrook's younger sister. Silverbrook was the queen who had reluctantly agreed to nurse Crushedpaw when her mother had died. Silverbrook, of course, was the prettier of the two. But Mossflower, being the kind soul that she was, did not resent her sister for being the one who haunted the dreams of nearly every tom in the Clan, as most other she-cats did. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"I am a bit hungry," Crushedpaw replied in her slurred voice. Just then, Lichenpaw, the medicine cat apprentice, padded into the den.

"Oh, Lichenpaw," Mossflower mewed. "Would you kindly fetch Crushedpaw something from the fresh-kill pile?"

Lichenpaw nodded, then turned and darted out of the den.

"If there's anything else you need, please ask Lichenpaw. She's headstrong, but obedient. Now, try to get some rest. I have to treat your wounds."

"What happened to me?" Crushedpaw asked as Lichenpaw returned to the den.

"Oh, you got slaughtered by a bunch of CloudClan apprentices," Lichenpaw replied, dropping the vole she carried in her jaws. "Luckily, _I_ was there to save you." The she-cat swelled up with pride.

"Now, Lichenpaw," Mossflower meowed sternly. "You know you shouldn't behave that way. There's no reason to be proud of the fact that Crushedpaw nearly died."

"But..." Lichenpaw mewed. Mossflower cut her off by turning back to Crushedpaw.

"Eat up, then," she ordered. Crushedpaw nodded and took a bite out of it obedientely. The warmth of the freshly killed prey spread through her tongue, making it tingle softly. Before long, the whole vole had disappeared completely, and Crushedpaw was asleep in her nest.


	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for the reviews, guys. Sorry I didn't update last night. I was at a dance. Since you guys will probably get confused in the later chapters, I'm going to post the allegiances now.**

**Allegiances**

**RoseClan**

**Leader:** Finchstar - Calico she-cat with ice blue eyes.

**Apprentice,** Daisypaw

**Deputy:** Phantomheart - White tom with strange blue eyes.

**Apprentice,** Crushedpaw

**Medicine Cat:** Mossflower - Silver she-cat with green eyes.

**Apprentice, **Lichenpaw

**Warriors:**

Volefur - Brown tom with amber eyes.

Streamtail - Calico she-cat with brown eyes.

**Apprentice,** Larkpaw

Thorntail - Golden brown tom with blue eyes.

Stonepath - Gray tabby tom with amber eyes.

Shadewhisker - Black she-cat with green eyes.

**Apprentice,** Maplepaw

Runningbrook - White tabby she-cat with ice blue eyes.

Blazingheart - Ginger tom with brown eyes.

**Apprentice,** Pinepaw

**Apprentices:**

Daisypaw - Ginger she-cat with blue eyes.

Crushedpaw - Deformed brown she-cat with green eyes.

Lichenpaw - Gray tabby she-cat with ice blue eyes.

Larkpaw - Brown tabby she-cat with a ginger underbelly.

Maplepaw - Tan she-cat with amber eyes.

Pinepaw - Silver and gray tom with ice blue eyes.

**Queens:**

Silverbrook - Silver she-cat with green eyes.

**Elders:**

Smallclaw - Large, broad-shouldered tabby tom with small claws.

Heathertail - Black she-cat with gray eyes.

**The next chapter will have the CloudClan and VaporClan allegiances, then the chapter after that will be chapter four. Just wanted to let you know. If I listed all the allegiances in this chapter, it'd be WAAAY too long, because CloudClan's pretty big. Anyway, here's chapter three!**

Chapter 3

"Lichenpaw?" Crushedpaw's slurred call rang through the medicine den. The gray tabby apprentice was nowhere to be seen. It was about moonhigh, but there was really no way to be sure, as the moon was covered by a thick layer of clouds. Not a single star lit up the sky. The whole camp was choked by darkness. Crushedpaw struggled to get to her paws, but pain ripped through her shoulder and flanks, making her fall back into her nest with a soft _thump_. Try as best as she could to see, the deformed apprentice glanced around the den. "Lichenpaw?" she whispered again.

A mew from outside the medicine den made Crushedpaw clamber quickly to her paws. Ignoring the pain that seared through her, the apprentice limped out into the clearing.

"...so after I'm made a warrior," meowed a voice. "You can be my mate. But only if you promise not to tell anyone."

"Of course!" It was Lichenpaw. But who was she talking to, and where was she? Crushedpaw swiveled her ears, trying to pick up any more sounds, but there was silence. Deep, pure silence. Crushedpaw shook her head and limped back into the medicine den, settling herself back into her nest. Then she sat in silence, waiting for Lichenpaw to return. It seemed as though days had passed, but Crushedpaw continued to wait. The clouds began to disperse, and the moon set. Still Crushedpaw waited in silence. The sun rose, and the clouds returned, surrounding the sun but not blocking it out. Lichenpaw still had not returned.

Finally, Crushedpaw decided to go look for herself. Staggering to her paws, Crushedpaw padded out into the camp. Maplepaw, one of the youngest apprentices in the Clan, padded out of the apprentice's den. Stretching, she parted her jaws in a wide yawn.

"Maplepaw," Crushedpaw called. "Have you seen Lichenpaw?"

"What?" Maplepaw asked.

"Lichenpaw," Crushedpaw repeated slowly.

"Oh, Lichenpaw!" Maplepaw mewed. "Yeah, I've seen her. She left camp with Pinepaw at moonrise. Isn't she lucky? Pinepaw totally digs her! Wouldn't it be so cool if they became mates? I think they should name their kits Drizzlekit and Smokekit. That'd be so cool! Smoke is warm, so if they name one of their kits Smokekit, it should be a warm kit, don't you think so? But then, how would they know if he was warm? But what if it wasn't a tom? What if it was a she-cat? Smokekit is an odd name for a she-cat, don't you think so?" Maplepaw continued to blabber on and on about kit names and personalities, and how adorable Lichenpaw's kits would be.

_Oh, StarClan,_ Crushedpaw thought. _Doesn't she ever shut up?_ Crushedpaw turned and padded off in the direction of the camp entrance. She was eager to find Lichenpaw and ask what secrets Pinepaw had confided in her.

"Crushedpaw!" a yowl rang through the camp. It was Mossflower. "Crushedpaw, get back here right now! You're in no condition to leave camp!"

_She's such a worrier!_ Crushedpaw thought, but she obediently turned and padded back to the medicine den.

"I'm sorry, Crushedpaw," Mossflower mewed sympathetically when the brown apprentice plopped back into her nest. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Thanks for caring, I suppose," Crushedpaw meowed softly, closing her eyes. After staying up so late waiting for Lichenpaw, she was completely exhausted.

The next thing Crushedpaw knew, it was sunset. She had fallen asleep to the sound of Mossflower sorting herbs in the back of the den. When she opened her eyes, she saw Lichenpaw enter the medicine den, her ice blue eyes filled with joy.

"Where have you been?" Mossflower demanded, whipping around to face her apprentice as soon as she set paw in the den.

"I was collecting herbs," Lichenpaw replied. "But then I lost them. I was going to bring back some goldenrod and honey, honest! But then I fell into the river that marks the border between us and VaporClan, and the herbs fell into the water with me. When I finally got out, the herbs were already long gone. Then I spent the rest of the day trying to get dry."

"You should have come right back to camp," Mossflower scolded. "You could have caught whitecough."

"I...I'm sorry," Lichenpaw mewed sincerely.

"Because of your misbehaviour," Mossflower meowed. "You are strictly forbidden to leave this den at all for the next three dawns."

"But what if I have to make dirt?" Lichenpaw asked.

"If you do have to make dirt, then make it by your nest and when your punishment is over, you can roll it out of camp yourself. I will bring you something from the fresh-kill pile every sunrise and sunset. But I will warn you only once," Mossflower leaned in close to her apprentice's face. "If you leave this den at any time, you will not be aloud outside of it ever again!"

"Not even for trips of the Dew Tree?" Lichenpaw asked. The Dew Tree was a large palm that grew just outside of the territories of the Clans. It was covered in dew, and never dried up. Medicine cats and leaders went there to share tongues with StarClan. Crushedpaw had only heard stories of this place, and she longed to see it for herself.

"We will figure that out when we need to," Mossflower replied. "Now, I need you to put some fresh cobwebs and goldenrod on Crushedpaw's wounds. Can you do that for me?"

Lichenpaw nodded.

"Well then, get to it!" Mossflower cried. Crushedpaw was stunned by the medicine cat's fierceness. She had never seen her so angry in her whole life!

Silently, Lichenpaw set to work tending Crushedpaw's wounds.


	5. Allegiances

**Here are the allegiances I promised you!**

**CloudClan**

**Leader:** Stormstar - Gray tom with ice blue eyes.

**Deputy:** Eagleclaw - Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Apprentice,** Mistpaw

**Medicine Cat:** Nightstalker - Black she-cat with green eyes.

**Warriors:**

Reedwhisker - Dark ginger tom with brown eyes.

**Apprentice,** Violetpaw

Sootfeather - Pale gray she-cat with green eyes.

**Apprentice, **Lakepaw

Silverwind - White she-cat with a brown muzzle and ice-blue eyes.

**Apprentice, **Jasperpaw

Riverheart - Black tom with whtie paws and a white underbelly.

**Apprentice,** Opalpaw

Silentwind - Silver she-cat with amber eyes.

**Apprentice,** Rainpaw

Moonheart - Black she-cat with one white ear and white paws.

Sunfeather - Golden she-cat with ice blue eyes.

**Apprentice, **Chrysalispaw

Swanclaw - Snow white she-cat with brown eyes.

**Apprentice,** Markedpaw

**Apprentices:**

Mistpaw - Silver she-cat with ice blue eyes.

Violetpaw - Gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes.

Lakepaw - Black she-cat with amber eyes.

Jasperpaw - White tabby tom with green eyes.

Opalpaw - Cream colored she-cat with brown eyes.

Rainpaw - Black tom with green eyes.

Chrysalispaw - Black and white tom with dark amber eyes.

Markedpaw - Brown tabby tom with blue eyes.

**Queens:**

Mapleheart - Tortoiseshell she-cat with emerald eyes.

Ladensoul - White she-cat with reddish brown splotches and clear, grass-green eyes.

Dyingflower - Ginger tabby she-cat with brown eyes.

**VaporClan**

**Leader:** Darkstar - Black she-cat with blue eyes.

**Deputy:** Taintedclaw - Gray tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Apprentice,** Essencepaw

**Medicine Cat:** Ivoryspot - Tabby tom with a sweeping plume of a tail and copper eyes.

**Warriors:**

Dappletear - Calico she-cat with amber eyes.

Valiantwing - White tabby tom with green eyes.

**Apprentice,** Amberpaw

Coyotestep - Shaggy gray tom with blue eyes.

Mothclaw - Tan she-cat with brown eyes.

Bleachedheart - Brown tom with a white underbelly.

**Apprentice,** Whitepaw

**Queens:**

Whisperwind - Cream colored she-cat with blue eyes.

**Elders:**

Chivewhisker - Ginger tom with green eyes.


	6. Chapter 4

**Hey, people! I'm back with chapter four! Thanks for reviewing, sis! I told you I was writing a story! Well, the dance was pretty fun. I danced with my friends Heidi and Amy, even though I have no diea how to dance. But anyway, here's chapter four! -munches on a Cheez-It-**

Chapter 4

It had been two dawns since Lichenpaw's punishment was given. Crushedpaw's shoulder wound had begun to heal, but the cuts on her flanks were infected, so she would have to stay in the medicine den until the infection was taken care of. Mossflower allowed Crushedpaw to exercise outside the medicine den, but she was not allowed to go any farther than the nursery. Lichenpaw, who usually did not want anything to do with Crushedpaw, now spent her whole day talking with her.

_She's probably lonely,_ Crushedpaw thought to herself every night before she fell asleep. _As soon as her punishment is lifted, she'll go straight back to the other apprentices and leave me behind._

"Mossflower?" Lichenpaw now called, padding over to her mentor who was busy sorting through herbs, trying to find something that would ease Crushedpaw's pain.

"Yes, Lichenpaw?" Mossflower replied, continuing to sort through the piles of leaves and berries.

"I have a question."

"Ask away."

"Since you're running low on herbs, I could stay here and watch the den while you go out and gather some."

"That's a great idea, Lichenpaw!" Mossflower praised her apprentice. In a heartbeat, she was out of the den and halfway across the camp. "I'll be back at moonrise!" she called over her shoulder. Crushedpaw looked up at the sun. It was close to sunhigh. Mossflower would be gone for a while.

"What are you thinking about?" Crushedpaw asked when Mossflower had left the camp.

"Why should I be thinking about anything?" Lichenpaw demanded defensively. "I'm _not_ thinking about anything! You're crazy!"

"I was just wondering," Crushedpaw muttered. "I know what you were _really_ doing that dawn."

"No, you don't!" Lichenpaw insisted.

"Yes, I do," Crushedpaw replied. "You were with Pinepaw. I heard you two talking at moonhigh. Where did you go after that?"

"Why should I tell you anything?" Lichenpaw growled.

"Because," Crushedpaw replied. "You're a medicine cat. You shouldn't be seeing Pinepaw. Your duty is to your Clan, not to him."

"He _is_ part of the Clan!" Lichenpaw cried. "Just eat some poppy seeds and go to sleep already. I'm not telling you anything else."

Crushedpaw shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry you think that," she meowed. "And you do realize that if you leave, I'll have to tell Mossflower, don't you?"

Lichenpaw stared at Crushedpaw for a moment, then nodded. "You're right, Crushedpaw," she meowed. "I _should_ focus on my duties. Here, let me get you some poppy seeds and cobwebs. Would you like some fresh moss, too?" Without waiting for an answer, the she-cat darted off. Within moments she was back. In her mouth was a wad of moss, a leaf bundle filled with poppy seeds, and fresh cobwebs. She dropped the leaf bundle at Crushedpaw's paws, then set to work changing her cobwebs and replacing her moss nest with a new one.

Crushedpaw glanced down at the poppy seeds as pain ripped through her sides. Quickly, she licked up every seed on the leaf.

"Now, lay down," Lichenpaw instructed calmly. "I'm sure you're exhausted. Healing takes a lot of energy, doesn't it?"

Crushedpaw settled into her nest, a cloud of drowsiness sweeping over her. "You're right," she yawned. "I must have eaten more than I thought I had this morning."

"No," Lichenpaw replied, purring maliciously. "You just ate thirty poppy seeds."

Crushedpaw struggled to make her brain work, but she was too tired. The last thought that raced through her head was this: _I've been decieved. That lump of foxdung drugged me._


	7. Chapter 5

**I must admit, that last chapter was a bit short. This one might be a bit short though, too. I dunno. I'll try not to make it so short this time.**

Chapter 5

Crushedpaw had no idea what was happening. She was walking, that she was sure of. Or at least, she thought she was sure of it. She couldn't see anything. She could only hear voices.

"But you have to promise not to tell." one voice said. _Pinepaw,_ Crushedpaw thought.

"You've been drugged, Dungpaw."

"_The night of the Rose, the soul that is crushed. Dusk will fall upon the Clans. But the love of a true friend will bring the light back._"

"You have no future, Crushedkit."

"And now, it is time to destroy them."

Crushedpaw tried to see. She glanced in every direction, but everything was black. There was not even the slightest hint of light anywhere. "Someone, help me!" she wailed. But the sounds of the other voices drowned out her own.

"Crushedpaw!" One voice roared. The other voices faded into the background.

"Where am I?" Crushedpaw asked.

"You're in the Center Mind," the voice replied. "From here, you can access anyone's mind. You can see their history, read their thoughts. Every thought they've ever had."

"How did I get here?" Crushedpaw asked.

"You can only get here in your sleep," the voice replied. "All you have to do is say someone's name out loud, and then you'll be in their mind. You can even make them dream certain dreams. It's fun. Go on, try it!"

"Do I get to keep this power?" Crushedpaw asked.

"No," the voice replied. "It's not a power. It's a privelege. StarClan needs you to do something for them. Say the name of the medicine cat apprentice of RoseClan."

"Lichenpaw," Crushedpaw meowed.

The darkness got even darker. Crushedpaw was spinning. Just spinning and spinning and spinning. Suddenly, she stopped. Her eyes, which had been squeezed shut, now opened. She was in the RoseClan camp. She was moving. But it wasn't really her moving. It was Lichenpaw. Lichenpaw was racing out of camp. Crushedpaw just stood completely still, watching the scene that played in front of her. Lichenpaw sprinted through the forest. She just kept running and running until she was near the edge of the stream that divided RoseClan and VaporClan's territories. The gray tabby veered off of her path and padded over to a bush.

"Pine," she whispered.

"Enter," a voice boomed from the inside of the bush. Lichenpaw parted the bush and padded into a dirt tunnel that was hidden beneath it. The dirt tunnel wove on for a great deal of time. At last, Lichenpaw burst into a large dirt hollow deep within the earth. Crushedpaw gasped. The hollow was two times larger than the RoseClan camp! Despite this, only a pawful of cats milled about within it. One of those cats was Pinepaw.

"Welcome, Lichenfur," Pinepaw meowed.

"Greetings, Pinestar," Lichenpaw replied, dipping her head. Pinepaw licked Lichenpaw's ear affectionately.

"Did you get any new recruits?"

"No," Lichenpaw replied, a hint of disappointment in her tone. "But I think Crushedpaw is onto us. I drugged her. She'll be asleep for a two dawns, I'd wager. And by the time she wakes up, she won't remember a thing."

"I think we'll be able to persuade her to join us," Pinepaw meowed. "Just wait. She'll come to us soon. All we have to do is destroy her most prized possession."

"But what is that?" Lichenpaw asked. "She doesn't have anything to be proud of. Her life isn't worth a rat tail."

"We'll find out," Pinepaw replied. "I need you to keep a close eye on her. Pretend to be her friend. Talk to her. Interrogate her. Leave no question unasked."

"Yes, Pinestar," Lichenpaw mewed, dipping her head.

_Pinestar?_ Crushedpaw thought. _Lichenfur? This is all insane!_

_It is, isn't it?_

_Who's that?  
Minnowclaw. I am Lichenpaw's father. I am the one who chose you to try to stop Pinepaw._

_But what threat does Pinepaw pose?_

_He's creating a new Clan: PineClan. Those cats in the background are only a pawful of the recruits he has. He's got at least a hundred cats on his side. His father was trying to build up PineClan before Pinepaw was born. When he was old enough, Pinepaw was told about his father's Clan. The next day, his father was slain by a badger, and Pinepaw took control of PineClan. They're planning to take over every Clan in the forest. You have to stop them._

_I'll try my best, Minnowclaw. Thank you for letting me see this._

_You know what you must do._

Suddenly, a screech ripped through the air. "It's a raid!" the familiar shreik of Finchstar rang through the camp. "Rogues are attacking!"

It was sunset. Crushedpaw wobbled unsteadily to her paws and bounded over to the entrance to the medicine cat den. Hundreds of rogues and loners flooded through the camp entrance. Three large black toms surrounded Maplepaw, who lashed out at them furiously. Unfortunately, the black toms were stronger. They soon had her pinned down on her back. One of the toms grabbed her by the scruff and dragged her out of the camp.

A yowl escaped Larkpaw's lips as she turned to face a ginger tabby tom and a silver she-cat. She lashed out at the tom's face, scoring a long scratch down the side of his muzzle.

"Long live PineClan!" snarled the silver she-cat as she leapt onto Larkpaw.

Silverbrook and Runningbrook were busy trying to defend the nursery from the three immense black cats who had captured Maplepaw.

Crushedpaw knew she had to escape. She had to get to PineClan's camp and rescue the other apprentices and warriors that had been captured. Silently, she slipped out into the camp and darted out of a hole in the camp wall near the nursery.

Crushedpaw ran for a long time. She had no idea how much time had passed when she finally reached the bush in which PineClan's camp was hidden. A rustle in the bushes behind her signaled the approach of another patrol.

"Let me go!" a voice mewed. Crushedpaw darted behind the bush and waited as the patrol neared. Finally, the stopped at the entrance to the bush. Crushedpaw peeked out from where she crouched. It was the three large black toms. Each of them held one of Silverbrook's kits in their jaws. With them were the ginger tabby tom and the silver she-cat. The two of them carried Larkpaw and Daisypaw with them.

"Pine," one of the black toms murmured into the hole.

"Enter!" a voice called.

As the patrol dragged the RoseClan cats into the camp, Crushedpaw slipped in behind them. What she planned to attempt was risky, but she had to try. She had to rescue her Clanmates!

After a long march through the dirt tunnel, the patrol was in the PineClan camp. Crushedpaw darted in after them. Pinepaw stopped them at the entrance.

"Jag, Scar, Adva, nice job. Silverbrook's kits will make superb fighters one day." he meowed. Then he turned to the ginger tom and the silver she-cat. "Ah, yes, Grem and Slipp. Good to see you two. I knew you'd be able to handle Maplepaw and Daisypaw." Then he noticed Crushedpaw. "Ah, Crushedpaw. So good to see you, my dear friend. I know you'll enjoy it here." Pinepaw turned to the one called Jag. "Take them to the Deminding Chamber."

Jag nodded and led the patrol toward the southern wall of the camp. There were six tunnels in the southern wall. Jag and Adva padded into the first one. Scar dragged his kit into the third one. Grem dragged Daisypaw into the second chamber. Slipp led Crushedpaw and Maplepaw into the sixth chamber.

Crushedpaw had never been in a darker place in her entire life. It was not truly dark. There were holes in the sky where the moon shone through. But there was a dark air to the pit in which Crushedpaw and Maplepaw now stood. Hundreds of cats, most of them kits or apprentices, sat within the pit. Each of them was spaced about a rabbit length apart. They all slept flat on their backs, staring up at the ceiling.

"Welcome to the Deminding Chamber," Slipp meowed in a hollow tone. "This is where you will sleep until Pinestar permits you to leave. Once you have been allowed to leave, you will be given a new name. Your current names are not worth a rat tail here. Now, get in line and sleep the way you are instructed to.

"Maplepaw," Crushedpaw whispered. "We have to get out of here. We have to save all these cats. We have to save every cat in the forest from the wrath of Pinepaw."


	8. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The night passed very slowly. Crushedpaw felt extremely uncomfortable on her back and was squished between a young orange tabby she-kit and a white tabby tom who was probably no older than eight moons. On occasion, a sleep guard would come by and whisper something in a cat's ear. Then that cat would have to repeat whatever the guard had said until the guard returned and either gave them something new to say or told them to stop saying it and go back to sleep. Crushedpaw had been assigned the word 'Rose.' If she did not repeat this word as she was told, she would be punished severely. Occasionally, Pinepaw would come into the Deminding Chamber to check on his prisoners.

"Rose," Crushedpaw mewed softly. "Rose, rose, rose, rose, rose, rose, rose, rose..." After a while, the word became meaningless. It seemed to Crushedpaw that it was just a jumble of sounds. Finally, the sun rose, and the prisoners were called out of their Chambers and into the Prison Room.

Jag and Slipp were the two toms who escorted the six groups to the Prison Room. The escorts were made backwards: First came Pit six, which was Crushedpaw and Maplepaw's pit, then there was five, then four, then three, then two, then finally came Pit number one. Each one was in the Prison Room at a different time.

Jag and Slipp padded through the empty dirt hollow, with Group Six padding along behind them. Crushedpaw slowed down and waited for Maplepaw to catch up with her.

"Maplepaw," she whispered.

"Yeah?" Maplepaw replied.

"What do you think they're going to do to us in the Prison Room?"

"No talking!" Jag snapped from the front of the line. Crushedpaw nodded farewell to Maplepaw, then padded ahead.

Jag and Slipp finally arrived at a hollow in the far east wall of the camp. Unlike the other hollows in the camp, this hollow was lined with stone. The group slowly squeezed their way into the stone tunnel and followed Jag and Slipp as they darted easily through the tunnel. It was not long before Group Six reached the pit at the end of the stone tunnel. The pit, too was lined with stone. The walls and ceiling were also made of stone. In the center of this stone pit sat Pinepaw. Next to him lay Lichenpaw, who was lazily grooming the silver and gray tom's pelt.

"Welcome," Pinepaw meowed. "I hope you all enjoyed a good night's sleep last night. I am Pinestar, your new leader. Now, most of you have probably never had a leader before, and you are probably frightened. However, I am here to assure you that having a leader is no big deal. I am here to protect you, and all I ask for in return are a group of trustworty, loyal cats who will stand by my side no matter what.

"Now, you are all a part of Group Six. Each day, when we have Meal Time, either I or one of my stronger servers will call out each group for their meal. Group Six will always eat last, though you will always be the first to attend important meetings pertaining to events in the Clan. Lichenfur here is your Mother Highest. She is the only she-cat who is allowed to mate and have kits. When Lichenfur is too old to have kits, she will choose a new Mother Highest. But that may not happen for a long time yet, so it is highly unlikely that any of you will ever become Mother Highest, unless you're on Lichenfur's good side."

"I have a question," mewed a small black and white tom kit who was no older than two moons.

"Yes?" Lichenfur asked.

"When do I get to see my Mum again?"

"You don't," Pinepaw snapped.

"That's not fair!" the kit cried.

"Jag!" Pinepaw called.

Jag padded over to his leader.

"Take this kit to the Sun Chamber. Do not let him come out until the moon rises."

Jag nodded, then turned to the kit and picke dhim up by the scruff. The kit, who was completely unaware of the painful procedure he was about to endure, let Jag take him away in silence.

"Now," Pinepaw meowed, turning back to the rest of the group. "Each of you will be given various jobs. Some of you will be hunters. Some of you will be nursery tenders. Others of you will be servants to either Lichenfur or me. Those of you who are truly blessed will be given the job of Junior Mothers. Now, only those who are Junior Mothers can mate. When I said that nobody but the Mother Highest could have kits, what I meant was that nobody but the Mother Highest can have just one mate. Junior Mothers are required to have at least five mates."

"At _least_ five?" Maplepaw cried.

"Yes," Pinepaw replied cooly. "Now, when I say 'go,' you will form a single file line, and I will call each of you forward and give you a job. After you have been given a job, I will direct you to one of the tunnels over there." Pinepaw gestured with his tail to the row of dirt tunnels on one side of the stone pit. "Once you have been directed to a tunnel, you will go into the pit that it leads to, and your mentor will train you until moonrise. Tomorrow, you shall be brought here again, and you shall proceed to your mentor once more. This shall continue every day until you are learned enough that you no longer need your mentor. Some jobs require a mentor for longer periods of time than others. After you are finished with your mentoring, your mentor will take you to another pit where the fully trained cats go. It's not as confusing as it sounds, trust me."

Pinepaw paused for a moment, examining the group. Crushedpaw stared coldly at him. "Go," he meowed. Immediately, every cat in Group Six was in a line. The first one in line, a small, white she-cat with dark amber eyes, stepped forward.

"You," Pinepaw meowed. "What is your name?"

"W...Whitey..." the she-cat replied. "M...My name's Whitey."

"Whitey," Pinepaw repeated. "You will be a nursery tender. Please go through the fourth tunnel."

Whitey darted up to the fourth tunnel and had disappeared in a heartbeat.

Next came a white tabby tom. "My name is Jasperpaw of CloudClan," he meowed. "I seem to remember you two from a Gathering."

"Jasperpaw will be a hunter," Pinepaw announced. He pointed Jasperpaw in the direction of the second tunnel. Jasperpaw padded slowly over to it, then climbed into it cautiously. It took a long time for him to leave.

Pinepaw went on for a long while, giving each of the thirty-six cats in Group Six a job. Finally, it was Maplepaw's turn. Behind her was Crushedpaw.

"Maplepaw," Pinepaw snarled. "You will be a servant. Go through the third tunnel."

Maplepaw nodded and padded through the third tunnel.

"Ah, Crushedpaw," Pinepaw meowed as Crushedpaw stepped up. "I have the perfect job for you. You will be a Junior Mother. Please proceed through the first tunnel."

_Junior Mother?_ The thought exploded in Crushedpaw's head. _This is insanity!_ Still, she padded obediently across the stone pit and into the first tunnel, ready to face her destiny.


	9. Chapter 7

**Sorry I didn't post this last night. I was busy. But i'm back now! Here's chapter seven!!!**

Chapter 7

The walls of the Junior Mother's home was made of a shiny black stone. In three of the walls, there were hollows, some higher up than others. These hollows were referred to as 'rows'. According to Minkstripe, the black-and-white she-cat who worked with the Junior Mothers, Pinepaw, or rather, Pine_star_, had reserved a special row for Crushedpaw. Crushedpaw was to sleep in Row One. The inside of her hollow, as Crushedpaw later discovered, was lined with pine needles and dried grass. Apparently, the cats of PineClan were strictly forbidden to use moss for bedding.

Now, Crushedpaw lay inside her Row, gazing out at the clearing where older Junior Mothers milled about with their mates. Crushedpaw wondered who she would be forced to mate with. Just then, Minkstripe's head appeared in the opening through which Crushedpaw gazed.

"Hello, Crushedpaw!" she mewed joyfully. "We have been analyzing your appearance, history, and personality, and have found the perfect first mate for you!"

_How could they know all that about me?_ Crushedpaw wondered. But then, Pinepaw still lived in RoseClan. It was only at night that he was in the PineClan camp, except for when he had special duties that involved him staying past dawn. He was sure to be able to gather information from Silverbrook or Mossflower.

"And who might that be?" Crushedpaw asked.

"I'd like you to meet Shard," Minkstripe meowed, stepping out of the way so that a young gray tabby tom, probably no older than Crushedpaw herself, could enter the Row.

"Good day," Shard meowed, dipping his head.

Crushedpaw flicked her ear in greeting, not sure of what to say. Who was Shard? She knew almost nothing about him, so how were they supposed to be mates, anyway?

"May I sit down?" Shard asked.

Crushedpaw nodded, scooting back until she was pressed flat against the back of her Row, trying to make room for her new 'mate.' Shard seated himself right beside the opening, so that there was more space for Crushedpaw.

"I'll leave you two alone until you're done," Minkstripe mewed, padding away. It was obvious to Crushedpaw that by 'until you're done,' she meant 'until you've mated'. Crushedpaw shuddered slightly. She was only eleven moons old! She was not old enough to mate, let alone have kits. She had to get out of here somehow.

"So," Shard murmured, glancing around the black stone hollow. "What now?"

"I don't know," Crushedpaw snapped. "I'm not the genius. Why don't you get us out of here?"

"What?" Shard meowed. Crushedpaw blinked.

"Don't you want to escape?" she asked.

"Of course I do!" Shard mewed, lowering his voice to a whisper. "But listen to me, and listen good, because I'm not going to repeat myself. I was born here. My mother was twelve moons old when I was born. I was a prey hunter before I was promoted to Junior Father. And as a prey hunter, I got to see a lot of what really happens. You know, how cats get here.

"My father was from CloudClan. When I was three moons old, he tried to escape, but he was caught and slaughtered ferociously." Shard shuddered lightly. "Anyway, ever since then, I've been plotting a way to escape myself. I don't want to live here any more than you do, but we've got to make this work. Here's my plan..."

Crushedpaw listened with rapt attention as Shard went over his plot to escape without notice. Of course, it was hard for Crushedpaw to hear, as his voice was so low, but she could hear better when she leaned in closer.

Luckily, when Minkstripe left, she had covered the entrance to the hollow with a thick curtain of reeds, so no light entered the hollow, therefore no prying eyes could, either.

It seemed like an eternity passed before Shard was finally done going over every single aspect of his plan. "Do you get it?" he asked.

"Yeah," Crushedpaw nodded.

"Shh..." Shard hissed suddenly. "Minkstripe's coming. I can hear her. We have to at least pretend we're mating. Here, crouch down."

Crushedpaw crouched obediently and waited as Shard climbed onto her back, the way cats usually do when they mate. Suddenly, the curtains opened. Shard pushed himself up and down, though he wasn't actually 'inside' Crushedpaw.

"Yes, yes," Minkstripe purred. "Very good. Very good, indeed."

Suddenly, Crushedpaw screeched. Shard had slipped, and was now inside of her.

"You'll get used to it," Minkstripe meowed. "Now, I have to go check on Whitey and Nightclaw in Row seventeen." With that, Minkstripe let the curtains fall back into place and padded away.

"Ouch!" Crushedpaw hissed as Shard slid off of her.

"Sorry," he mewed apologetically. "I kind of slipped."

"How long do we have to keep this up?" Crushedpaw asked desperately.

"If everything works out the way I planned it," Shard meowed. "We should only be here for a few more days."


	10. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Day slowly turned to night, and both Shard and Crushedpaw were required to return to their Demanding Chambers. Shard was in Deminding Chamber Eight, which is one of the six chambers for cats born into PineClan. Crushedpaw trudged sluggishly toward Chamber Six. The day had been exhausting. Minkstripe came back to check on them every few moments, and every time, Shard accidentially slipped into her. During that day the two spent together, Crushedpaw learned a lot about her 'mate.' Apparently, Shard's father had tried to convince Shard to escape with him that night, but Shard had had a dream the night before that his father would get slaughtered when trying to escape, so he had firmly rejected the suggestion.

"It's like I...saw into the future," Shard had said. "And even though it had been a dream, it had felt all too real, and I feared I, too would get slaughtered. I really didn't want to leave my father to face those PineClan warriors by himself, but I was too young. I didn't have the courage to go with him."

Now, as Crushedpaw slid into her spot in the Deminding Chamber and stared up at the half moon, her thoughts drifted back to her Clan. How was Mossflower? Did she think Lichenpaw was dead? Was she at the Dew Tree right now, asking StarClan for guidance? Did Phantomheart even know Crushedpaw was missing? And if so, did he even care? And what about Silverbrook? What did she think about her kits being taken from her? Or Finchstar? Did she care that every apprentice in the Clan had suddenly disappeared? What would she do about it? Would she send out a search party?

All these thoughts raced in Crushedpaw's head as her eyelids drooped, and she soon fell asleep muttering the word "Shard."

The next day, Group Six returned to the Prison Chamber to be evaluated by Pinepaw and to return to their jobs. Just like yesterday, Pinepaw had his prisoners form a line in the exact same order as they had the other day. Crushedpaw took her position at the back of the line. When Crushedpaw was up, she stepped onto the stone platform on which she had stood when she had been given her job.

"Crushedpaw," Pinepaw meowed, his eyes empty and emotionless. Lichenfur sat in her usually position, grooming her mate's pelt. "Minkstripe says that you are doing exceptionally well, and that you were extremely involved in your job."

Crushedpaw shuddered at these words.

"She also says," Pinepaw went on. "That she thinks you should remain with Shard for a moon before she moves you on to your next mate."

Crushedpaw nodded, sending a fervent prayer of thanks to StarClan. Now she would be able to escape!

"You may all return to your positions!" Pinepaw announced. Crushedpaw darted up the first tunnel as quickly as she possibly could, praying that Shard would already be there when she arrived so that they could discuss escape plans.

When she arrived at her post, she skidded to a stop, the excitement dissolving from her eyes like mist in a fire. There was Minkstripe, standing in front of her hollow. "Ah, yes," the black-and-white she-cat meowed when Crushedpaw padded over to her side. "Welcome, Crushedpaw. Today, I am going to evaluate you and Shard. I am going to be observing the chemistry between you two and..."

A sudden screech sounded from above Crushedpaw's head. She looked up to see a golden blur falling from the top of the wall.

"Vermi!" Minkstripe cried. "Vermi has fallen from Row Thirty!"

Crushedpaw gasped. Row Thirty was as high as the rows went. The hollows in Row Thirty were practically a part of the ceiling. Some said that if you fell from up there, you could break every bone in your body. Minkstripe darted over to where Vermi had fallen and was laying, bloody and broken, on the ground. Crushedpaw felt nauseous.

"Psst," A hiss sounded from within Crushedpaw's hollow. Shard's familiar gray head poked out of the hollow. Crushedpaw darted inside.

"What are you doing in here?" Crushedpaw hissed. "I thought you were supposed to be in the Junior Father's den!"

"You're welcome," Shard meowed.

"For what?" Crushedpaw asked.

"I pushed Vermi out of his hollow so we could escape!" Shard replied.

"Escape?" Crushedpaw repeated. "Right now? But I thought we were going to wait!"

"There's a tunnel underneath your hollow that leads right outside, but it's pretty long, and it could take us a few days to get to the end of it."

"Then how are we supposed to get out of here alive?"

"I got food." Shard scattered Crushedpaw's bedding, revealing a pile of squirrels and mice. "Take as many as you can. We'll eat on the way. But we have to cover up our tracks."

"How?" Crushedpaw asked.

"If we roll in these pine needles, it should cover up our scent pretty well." So they did. After they had completely eliminated their scents, Shard and Crushedpaw each grabbed five mice, two squirrels, and a sparrow, and headed off. Shard lead the way to the back to Crushedpaw's hollow, where he pressed against the back wall. It swung open, and Shard crept inside. Crushedpaw followed quickly, just as the door began to close. As soon as the opening was covered, there was silence. No sounds could be heard except for that of Shard's purposely heavy, noisy pawsteps. The two of them sprinted through the hollow as quickly as they could. Crushedpaw found difficulty running with her infected flanks and her twisted paw. And besides that, her nose was crushed, which made it hard to smell anything.

It seemed like three moons had passed before Shard finally whispered, "Let's eat. Then we have to keep moving."

Crushedpaw heartily agreed, and so two of them shared a sparrow and a mouse. Then they picked up the rest of the prey and continued to race down the tunnel, their strength restored.

The tunnel had many twists and turns in it, and since she could not see or smell, Crushedpaw relied on the sound of Shard's pawsteps to see where the turns came in. At times, the tunnel seemed to slope steeply downward, at others upward. It seemed as though several more moons had passed before Crushedpaw caught her first glimpse of light. There was a small hole in the top of the tunnel. Shard advised Crushedpaw to stay away from the light, in case there were PineClan warriors looking for them. He tried to convince the young apprentice that they could rest at the next point of light, and that they would be there in about another day. Crushedpaw refused, insisting that they should rest there.

"But we have to get as far as we possibly can!" Shard protested. "If we stop now, they'll catch up to us for sure!"

"But they don't even know where we are!" Crushedpaw cried. "We should rest!"

The arguement went on like that until the sun finally rose again. Since it was daytime, Shard finally gave in and agreed to let Crushedpaw sleep. Together, they sank down onto the dirt and fell asleep.


	11. Update

Hey, guys. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. i've been kinda...busy lately. I'm working on two new stories and trying to write a play for my friend, but I should have a new chapter up soon.

Sorry for the wait,

Anna


	12. Contest!

**Okay, I finally decided to get off my lazy behind and update my story. This is probably a bit early, since there's not even ten chapters in this story yet, but I'm having a contest-type thing. I want YOU to type a oneshot about a pairing between ANY two characters in this story. It can be about Pinepaw and Crushedpaw, Maplepaw and Shard, it can even be slash if you want. You can enter any time between today (February 19, 2008) to February 29, 2008. If you win, you will be able to create a cat which will appear in the story at some point as a major character, and will probably appear in the next book (If I decide to write one). So, yeah. PM me with the link to your oneshot, and I'll check it out! Remember, it can not be rated over T, and I would appreciate it if you kept graphic...stuff...out of it. Goodbye and good luck!**


	13. Contest Entry Example

**Hey, everyone! I decided I'd post an example oneshot to get those creative juices flowing for both me and you, since I haven't come up with an idea for the next chapter yet. If you copy this oneshot or use part of it in your submission, I will hunt you down and feed you to my vampires.**

Pairing: DaisyXJasper

Setting: The edge of CloudClan's border

A pale ginger shape stalked through the bushes, her blue eyes staring straight ahead attentively. She parted her jaws, drawing in a deep breath. A familiar tang hit her scent glands. She was nearing CloudClan's border. She hoped that _he_ would be there. He had promised to meet her at the border just past moonhigh. It was moonhigh now. The she-cat allowed herself a glance up at the sky. The stars twinkled brightly above her. Her friend's promise came back to her.

(Cue flashback)

_It was the end of the Gathering. Two cats sat side-by-side. One white with dark tabby stripes, one solid, pale ginger. The white tabby turned to his companion, his eyes glowing._

_"I'll see you at the next Gathering," the ginger she-cat meowed, rising to her paws._

_"Wait, Daisypaw!" the tom cried._

_"Yes?" Daisypaw mewed, turning back to her friend._

_"I don't want to wait a whole moon to tell you this," he meowed. "So I guess I'll just tell you now. Daisypaw, I..."_

_"Jasperpaw!" Both Daisypaw and Jasperpaw turned to see Jasperpaw's mentor, Silverwind, padding over to him. "Oh, Jasperpaw," she meowed, curling her tail around her apprentice and narrowing her eyes at Daisypaw, who shrank back defensively. "Why must you waste your time with that RoseClan filth? You need to focus on more important things."_

Did she just wink?_ Daisypaw thought, staring at Silverwind with wide eyes._

_"Can I at least say goodbye?" Jasperpaw pleaded._

_"Sure," Silverwind meowed, licking her apprentice's ear. "But remember, you shouldn't let RoseClan cats get in the way of your real Clan." With that, Silverwind padded away._

_"She's creepy," Jasperpaw muttered, shivering._

_Daisypaw purred, licking her friends ear. "She's a flirt, too."_

_"Listen, Daisypaw," Jasperpaw mewed. "Can you meet me at the border tomorrow night after moonhigh?"  
"Sure," Daisypaw replied._

_"I have to go now," Jasperpaw meowed, padding toward his mentor._

(End flashback)

Daisypaw shook her head, blinking. She was now at the CloudClan border. She sniffed the air, which was heavy with Jasperpaw's scent. Daisypaw caught him pacing back and forth between two bushes.

"You always have been a worrywart," Daisypaw purred, padding up to her friend.

"Daisypaw," Jasperpaw sighed, relaxing noticeably. "It's good to see you."  
Daisypaw licked her friend's shoulder affectionately. "Now," she mewed. "What is it you wanted to tell me?"

"Well," Jasperpaw started, looking down at his paws. "I'm probably going to sound like a total mousebrain."

"You can tell me anything," Daisypaw assured her friend.

"Okay," Jasperpaw sighed. "Well, we've been friends since we were born. Our parents met at the border every half-moon so we could play."

"I know," Daisypaw nodded.

"Well," Jasperpaw went on. "Over time, our friendship has developed, and I think I'm ready to take it to the next level, but I'm not sure if you are."

"What do you mean?" Daisypaw asked.

"Daisypaw," Jasperpaw sighed, his voice trembling. "I love you. I love you more than life itself. I want us to be together forever. And you probably don't feel the same way, but I just wanted you to know you have options outside of your Clan."

Daisypaw trembled. _He likes me?_ he thought. _He likes me! He really likes me!_ "Oh, Jasperpaw," Daisypaw sighed, burying herself in her friend's fur. She wanted to admit her feelings for him, too, but she couldn't find the words. She just stood there, her muzzle in Jasperpaw's shoulder.

Jasperpaw purred, licking his friend between the ears. "It's alright," he whispered. "We'll be alright."

"Jasperpaw!" a screech split the air. Jasperpaw's head jerked up.

"It's Silverwind!" he hissed to Daisypaw. "Hide, hide!"

Daisypaw nodded and ducked quickly into a clump of brambles.

"Jasperpaw!" Silverwind cried, darting up to her apprentice. "What are you doing out here so late at night?"

"Hunting," Jasperpaw replied quickly.

"You smell like RoseClan!" Silverwind snarled.

"I met up with an intruder," Jasperpaw meowed. "I chased them off."

"Who was it?" Silverwind asked. "I'll go tell Stormstar, and we can attack RoseClan."

"Can't say," Jasperpaw replied. "It's too dark to tell."

"Well," Silverwind sniffed the air in contempt. "I'm going back to camp. If you're not back by sunrise, I'll be back."

Jasperpaw nodded, and Silverwind trotted away.

Finally, Daisypaw slid out of the bushes and padded back to her friend. She gave Jasperpaw a loving nuzzle. "I'll see you at the next Gathering," she whispered, and padded away.

**This does not have to be the exact length of your oneshot, but it should be somewhere around this length. I won't consider oneshots that are less than ten lines long, unless there's no dialogue required for that particular oneshot. Good luck! Hmmm...I just came up with a new idea! If you win, I'll also use your pairing in the story, if it isn't too extreme. Adios, amigos!**


	14. Chapter 9

**Hey, everyone! I'm **_**finally**_** back! I got only one review for my new Twilight story, so I'm a bit disappointed, but that's okay with me. -shrug- Anyway, only one person has entered my oneshot contest, and that person has a pretty good chance of winning. I think that either all my reviewers died (Just kidding!!!), or chapter six scared them all away. Or, at least, I **_**think**_** it was chapter six. Anyway, here's chapter...NINE!!!**

Chapter 9

At least another three days passed before Crushedpaw got her first glimpse of the mountains. Shard informed her that there was a clump of ferns and fungi growing on one wall of the cave, and in order to get out, one had to wriggle their way through the ferns. So now, here they were. Crushedpaw was unsure of herself. How could she crawl with her twisted paw and infected flanks, which had gotten worse since she and Shard had entered the tunnel? But she had to try. She had to if she wanted to save her Clanmates. She had to save Silverbrook's kits, and she had to get Maplepaw, Daisypaw, and everyone else out. But how would she get rid of Pinepaw? The only way to make sure he didn't take over was if she...killed him. But Crushedpaw couldn't kill! She'd never even had battle training!

"Go on then," Shard now meowed, poiting to the clump of ferns with his tail. "You can go first, and I'll follow."

Crushedpaw crouched lopsidedly. Her paw ached as she drew herself slowly forward, sliding into the ferns.

"Keep going," Shard urged from behind the deformed she-cat. Crushedpaw pushed herself as hard as she could as the tunnel suddenly seemed to disappear. She could hardly feel the ground beneath her paws, and the darkness was even darker. The tunnels squeezed in around her suddenly, and she could hardly move. Crushedpaw squealed in fright but kept pushing. Suddenly, she could see! There was light, and she could smell fresh air. To the left, she could hear a stream rushing over the pebbles in its bed. To the right, Crushedpaw could hear birds twittering. But she knew she wasn't home. The air here was far fresher than it had been in RoseClan. There, it smelled like cats and herbs and dirt. Here, the air smelled like...well, the smell of the air was indescribable. Maybe that was just it, though. It was so clean and fresh, there was nothing _to_ smell.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Shard mewed as he wriggled out beside Crushedpaw.

"It smells wonderful," Crushedpaw sighed.

"Well then," Shard meowed, looking up at the sky. "We should find somewhere to sleep. It's getting dark."

"How about that clump of bracken over there?" Crushedpaw suggested, pointing with her tail to a clump of the golden brown plant that sat beside the stream. There was an opening in the side of the clump, and it appeared large enough to hold at least two cats.

Shard nodded, and so the two of them started wearily toward the edge of the stream. In an instant, Crushedpaw had wriggled her way into the bracken and was settling down in the middle, ready to fall asleep. And in less than a heartbeat, she was.

Crushedpaw was awake before dawn. Shard was fast asleep beside her. Crushedpaw decided that she would practice hunting, and hopefully bring back something that the two of them could eat. So she dropped into a hunting crouch and scented the air. All around her, she smelled mice, squirrels, and birds of every sort. Picking out one scent, Crushedpaw carefully stalked toward a trembling fern.

"Crushedpaw!" Shard's cry startled the she-cat. The mouse she had been stalking skittered away.

"Shard!" Crushedpaw hissed.

"What are you doing?" Shard mewed. "You can't hunt prey! Your paw isn't good enough!"

"Not good enough?" Crushedpaw repeated.

"You _can't_ hunt," Shard meowed firmly. "You just can't. Go back to the bracken and _I'll_ hunt instead."

"No," Crushedpaw growled. "I'm going to hunt, and you can't stop me! I want to prove that I'm actually _worth_ something, and if you won't let me try, then I can't prove _anything_! I'm just a useless lump of fur! That's all I'll ever be..."

Shard obviously had not changed his mind. "Go back to the bracken," he ordered. Crushedpaw allowed a brief, distorted snarl to escape her throat before she padded back to the clump of bracken.

There Crushedpaw sat, trapped within the bracken, until sunhigh, when Shard finally returned with a bundle of prey hanging from his jaws.

"Can you believe how much food there is here?" Shard cried as he spat out the mouthful of food. "It's obvious no cat has ever lived here before! We could just stay here forever, safe from PineClan and RoseClan, rogues and loners, and everything else in the whole wide world. We'd be safe, Crushedpaw."

"I have to rescue Silverbrook's kits!" Crushedpaw protested. "And everyone else in my Clan, too. Who knows what they're all being forced to do right now? I can only imagine...Oh, Shard! We _have_ to rescue them!"

"Well," Shard meowed, studying his companion thoughtfully. "You aren't fit for travel, so I'll return to PineClan and bring back all of your friends."

"What?" Crushedpaw cried. "No! You can't go back there all by yourself! You'll be murdered! I can't lose you, Shard. I...I just can't. You're the only one whose ever bothered to spend time with me, and you're the nicest cat I've ever known. If you leave, I might lose you...forever." Crushedpaw's voice trailed off into a whisper. Why was she talking like this? What did she care if another cat lost their life? At least she didn't have to lose her own!  
_He's my friend!_ Crushedpaw thought to herself. _The only friend I've ever had!_ And then, Ratwhisker's words struck Crushedpaw once more. _The love of a true friend will bring the light back._

"Alright then," Shard mewed, sitting down in the entrance to the bracken den. "I suppose we could just let your friends rot..."

"No!" Crushedpaw nearly tumbled over as she leapt to her paws. "You can't Shard! You _have_ to save them! _You're_ the light! _You_ can bring the light back!"

"Hmm?" Shard turned to face his friend with a confused expression.

"It's a prophecy," Crushedpaw meowed. "'The love of a true friend will bring the light back.' Shard, that's you! _You're_ a true friend! Only _you_ can save the Clans! You have to go back right now!"

"I'll leave at sunset," Shard meowed. Crushedpaw purred, settling back down. As she closed her eyes, she felt Shard's rough pink tongue slide over her ear.


	15. Chapter 10

**Hey, everyone! Time for chapter ten.**

**Liza Taylor - Wowza. Did you already read chapters 5-13? If so, that was pretty quick! Yeah, Crushedpaw and Shard are going to go through a love/hate relationship for a while, but if you want to know how they turn out, read my profile for details on the next story.**

Chapter 10

Shard and Crushedpaw both slept until sunset. It seemed that only a heartbeat had passed before that dreadful time came. The time when Shard would leave, and probably never return. He kept trying to reassure his companion, telling her that he would make it, but Crushedpaw couldn't help but fear the worst. What if he couldn't access the tunnel, as he had planned? What if he was imprisoned for escaping, or, even worse, slaughtered? Now, as Crushedpaw stood at the entrance to the bracken den, gazing out at the sky as it changed from blue to orange to flaming red, she shook her head, trying to clear the dreary thoughts that hung over her like a rain cloud ready to explode with freezing, needle-sharp droplets of water. Shard stood beside the clump of ferns that lay slightly downhill from the bracken den, preparing to leave for his journey back to his home.

"Be careful!" Crushedpaw cried.

"I will!" Shard promised, waving his tail in farewell. Then, picking up the mice he had caught for the journey, he plunged into the tunnel, disappearing.

Crushedpaw sighed, padding toward the back of the clump of bracken. She hoped with all her heart that he would return safely, with Daisypaw, Maplepaw, and everyone else he had promised to bring back with him. But what if he didn't have enough food for the journey back? What if everyone starved to death in that tunnel? What if they were found and slaughtered, and Pinestar sent out a search party, and they found her?

Crushedpaw shuddered, trying to rid herself of the image plastered into her head: Pinestar and his warriors, clambering out of the tunnel, their dark eyes ablaze, their fangs bared, ready to rip Crushedpaw limb from limb, leaving her body for the scavenging creatures that lived atop this mountain.

_No,_ Crushedpaw thought. _I won't let that happen. I won't! I'll be safe, and Shard will come back...won't he?_

Two days. Two long, lonely days had passed since Shard had left. Crushedpaw spent her days attempting to teach herself how to fish like the VaporClan cats could. Yesterday, she had caught a tiny silver fish that had kept off her hunger longer than she had expected it to. Now, she sat at the edge of the stream, keeping her eye on a large, round, silvery shadow in the center of the shallows. There was no way she could catch it without falling into the rapidly moving river. Slowly, the brown she-cat lifted her leaf-green gaze to the horizon, gazing out at the valley beneath her. From here, she thought she could see the river that divided VaporClan and RoseClan's territories.

"Ratwhisker," Crushedpaw sighed. "What can I do? Please, help me! I need you!"

A sudden, strong breeze cut through the still air. "Crushedpaw," the wind seemed to moan. "Go back to RoseClan. Warn them."

"But I can't leave Shard!" Crushedpaw protested.

The wind blew again, but Crushedpaw only heard a faint whisper, too soft for her to hear.

Crushedpaw looked down at the valley once more, gazing at the blurred shapes that milled around in the camps beneath her.

"Crushedpaw!" The squeal echoed in the brown she-cat's ears as she whipped around to face the tom she thought she'd never have to see again.

"Pinepaw," Crushedpaw snarled.

"That's Pine_star_ to you!" Pinepaw retorted. "Why are you here?"

"None of your business!" Crushedpaw snapped. "Why are _you_ here!"

"This is _my_ mountain!" Pinepaw cried. "Now, get out of here before I get one of my guards to drag you back!"

"I'm never going back to your Clan!" Crushedpaw hissed.

"Must you go looking for a fight?" Pinepaw meowed, narrowing his eyes. "Because if you really want one, I'll give it to you."

"Any time," Crushedpaw growled, flicking an ear. "What are your conditions?"

"Winner takes all," Pinepaw meowed. "Loser...is left for the sparrows."

"A fight to the death?" Crushedpaw suggested.

Pinepaw nodded in agreement. "By the cliffs," he ordered. So Crushedpaw followed her opponent to a large outcropping of stone that sat far above the valley.

"We can begin any time," Pinepaw meowed. Crushedpaw crouched, narrowing her eyes, and desperately trying to remember the very brief battle training she had recieved in RoseClan. And even if she could remember all the moves she had learned, there was no way she could possibly win. She expected Pinepaw to shove her right off the cliff, and her twisted paw wouldn't help her sustain any balance.

Before Crushedpaw could blink, Pinepaw was on top of her, his fangs headed for her neck.

Crushedpaw kicked the tom off of her with her hind legs. A sudden screech pierced the air. Crushedpaw leapt to her paws and looked over the edge of the cliff. And there he was. The silver-gray tom was tumbling head over tail through the air, his claws unsheathed, as he tried to get a grip on something. Then, he disappeared into a grove of trees. There was one last bloodcurdling yowl before Crushedpaw heard a faint, sickening, abnormal squelch.

_Oh, StarClan, no!_ Crushedpaw screeched in her head. _I killed Pinepaw!_


	16. Contest Results!

**Well, as promised, I shall now announce the winner of the oneshot contest!**

**First place: -drumroll- Liza Taylor's story: Lover's Peak!**

**Runner-up: -drumroll- Tigerstar-Demon's story, which has no title! Woohoo!**

**Okie dokie. So, as promised, first place will get to create a cat to appear in the story, and come up with a pairing for this story, or the next story.**

**Runner-up **_**also**_** gets a prize! Betcha didn't expect that!**

**Tigerstar-Demon, I'm sorry you didn't win. Your story was good, though. Anyway, you get to...I'm not telling! PM me to find out! Until then, peace out!**

**Amby**


	17. Chapter 11

**Time for chapter eleven! Ooh, hey! I think I've come up with a theme song for Shard and Crushedpaw! It kind of gives away most of the story, but I'mma tell it to y'all anyway, since I'll bet most of you have already figured it out. It's ****Wishes**** by Superchick. You've never heard that song? What is **_**wrong**_** with you? Go to YouTube and listen to it right now! Lol, jk. Bye bye!**

Chapter 11

The next thing she knew, Crushedpaw was running. She was running faster than she ever had in her whole life. She sprinted down the side of the mountain, desperate to get to Pinepaw. Even if he was an enemy, he still deserved to be properly buried. If he was dead, that is. Now, Cruhsedpaw was halfway down the mountain. She heard squelching and stopped. The noise grew closer and closer. Crushedpaw tensed with fear.

"Dungpaw," a distorted snarl sounded from behind Crushedpaw. She turned to see Pinepaw, covered in twigs and a blueish grayish goop with a twinge of brown in it. "You thought you'd killed me, did you? No, no. I've only just begun."

"How..." Crushedpaw stammered. "You just fell from the top of the mountain. How did you..."

"Survive?" Pinepaw meowed. "That's not for you to worry about. Oh, no. That's my problem. Now, what do you say we get back to that battle?"

"No, Pinepaw," Crushedpaw mewed, shaking her head. "I don't want to fight anymore. I just want to go home. And I'd die for that freedom."

"Well," Pinepaw replied. "That's not going to happen for you. Oh, no, no, no. I'm taking you back to PineClan. But you've got a special job."

Crushedpaw tensed, expecting the worst. What would Pinepaw do to her _now_? Crushedpaw wanted to run away, run to Shard, and tell him Pinepaw knew about their staying on the mountain. She was about to attempt to run when suddenly, a large brown blur shot out from behind the two cats and landed on top of Pinepaw.

"You don't belong here," the blur snarled. Crushedpaw shook her head and realized that the blur was a cat! Long, glinting claws stuck out of its paws as it pinned Pinepaw to the edge of the mountain. "Get out!"

"Never!" Pinepaw cried, struggling to remove the cat from him.

"Face it," the cat growled. "I'm stronger than you. Just admit it, and I'll let you go home."

"Alright, alright!" Pinepaw cried. "You're stronger than me! I admit it! Just let me go!"

The cat nodded, stepping off of Pinepaw.

"Send my regards to StarClan," Pinepaw snarled, launching himself onto the brown cat. The brown cat, who was much stronger and older than Pinepaw, easily threw him off of her.

"I won't have to," she mewed. Crushedpaw stepped back slowly, her eyes wide with awe as the two cats tussled on the edge of the mountain. Before she knew what was happening, Crushedpaw fell off the other side of the mountain.

--------------------------------------

"Oh," Crushedpaw groaned, opening her eyes.

"She is awake," a gruff voice meowed. Crushedpaw looked toward the voice. Her neck stung with pain, and she recoiled.

"Don't move!" another voice commanded. "Shardstar will rip your head off."

"Shard..." Crushedpaw whispered.

"I'm not Shard anymore." The voice was unmistakably Shard's. Crushedpaw tried once more to turn her head. She saw Shard padding toward her. "I am now Shardstar, leader of PineClan."

"What are you talking about?" Crushedpaw murmured, struggling to move. The two cats that had first spoken to her pinned her down by her shoulders.

"I sent Longclaws to kill Pinestar," Shard explained. "He was inferior, a coward, and so are you."

"Me?" Crushedpaw gasped. "I thought you wanted to help me get back home!"

Shard snorted. "That was all a lie," he meowed coldly. "Now, you have two choices: Die slowly, or die quickly."

"Why can't I live?" Crushedpaw asked.

"Because you already know too much," Shard replied. "If I let you go now, you might try to warn your Clan, but I can't let that happen, now, can I?"

Crushedpaw shook her head in disbelief. "Shard!" she cried. "Please, stop! You're _not_ the leader of PineClan! You're _not_ a ruthless killer, you're my friend!"

Shard purred. "Such a mousebrained assumption," he meowed. "Tell you what. I'll let you stay with Lichenfur in the Charging Chamber for two days, and then you can decide how you'd like to die."

Crushedpaw's heart stopped beating. Or, at least, it felt like it had. She didn't want to be put into a chamber again. This was just too much!

Shard's two guards picked Crushedpaw up and dragged her off.

"Oh," Shard meowed as Crushedpaw rounded a corner. "Just so you know, you're pregnant."

-----------------------------------

"Lichenpaw!" Crushedpaw gasped as the door to the Charging Chamber was closed. In the corner of the dark, damp cell lay Lichenpaw, or what _looked_ like Lichenpaw. The tabby's fur was clumped and scraggly, her ears were raw and covered in dried blood, and every single rib was visible on her, even in the dark.

"I regret this," Lichenpaw mewed softly. "I'm so, so sorry, Crushedpaw. I never wanted to drug you, but I knew that if I didn't, you'd tell Mossflower what Pinepaw and I had been doing. And now I realize that would have been so much better than this. Crushedpaw, I just want to go home."

"Lichenpaw," Crushedpaw meowed softly, padding over to her friend. "Do you know how to treat a pregnant queen?"

Lichenpaw nodded.

"I'm pregnant," Crushedpaw announced sadly. Lichenpaw gasped. Crushedpaw licked her friend's ear gently, trying to calm her as she began to tremble.

"Shardstar is the father, isn't he?" Lichenpaw guessed. Crushedpaw murmured her agreement, continuing to lick the blood from Lichenpaw's ears. "We have to get out of here, Crushedpaw," Lichenpaw mewed. "And I know how."

-----------------------------------

It was nightfall. Lichenpaw and Crushedpaw crept slowly out of their Chamber. The whole camp was silent. Crushedpaw's stomach felt as heavy as a frozen stone. Her first attempt at escaping had failed, but Lichenpaw seemed to be confident that this would work. Not a soul was in sight. Of course, if someone did awaken, since Lichenpaw was now Shardstar's mate, she was allowed to go outside to make dirt instead of in the Dirt Chamber like everyone else. Luckily, nobody stirred.

"Remember," Lichenpaw whispered. "As soon as you're outside, run as far and fast as you can toward the RoseClan camp. I'll follow in a little while."

Now, they were at the entrance to the camp. Crushedpaw slipped outside. The air was cool and crisp, signaling that leafbare was just around the corner. Crushedpaw didn't even have time to shiver. She took off as quickly as she could, just as Lichenpaw had instructed. It seemed like ages before she came within view of the RoseClan camp.

"Finchstar!" Crushedpaw cried, bursting into the camp. All was silent. "Finchstar?" Crushedpaw called again, her slurred voice ringing through the camp. A white tabby she-cat with ice-blue eyes stepped out of the warrior's den.

"Crushedpaw?" she mewed.

"Runningbrook!" Crushedpaw cried, bounding toward the warrior. Runningbrook backed away quickly, nearly falling over.

"This can't be happening!" she mewed, shaking her head. "No, no. You're not here, Crushedpaw. You're not real. You've been dead for seven moons!"

"What are you talking about?" Crushedpaw asked. "And where's the rest of the Clan?"

"I'm the only one left," Runningbrook mewed. "All three Clans left the forest. Blackcough is spreading through the forest, and they all escaped, trying to avoid it."

"Where's Mossflower?" Crushedpaw asked desperately. "Is she with them?"

Runningbrook sighed, looking Crushedpaw straight in the eyes. "No, Crushedpaw," Runningbrook replied. "She was the first one to get blackcough. She died three days after you disappeared."


	18. Chapter 12

**Whoo! 44 reviews! -dances- I never expected this fic to be so popular... Anyway, if you review for this chapter, you get free nachos!!! I need to make my plans for future stories more elaborate. People keep on guessing what's going to happen next!**

Chapter 12

"Blackcough," Crushedpaw stuttered. "Runningbrook, you have to come with us. Lichenpaw and I will take you back to RoseClan."

Runningbrook shook her head sadly. "I cannot," she replied. "I will not make it very far. I am on the verge of death. I might as well die in the place where I was born. But please," Runningbrook padded back into the warrior's den, then came back out, carrying with her a bundle of leaves. "This is for Blazingheart. Tell him that I'm sorry. He'll know what you mean." Runningbrook dropped the bundle of leaves on the ground, and two tiny kits crawled out. Their eyes were closed, their ears pressed flat against their heads. "Crushedpaw," Runningbrook mewed desperately. "Please, take care of them. You may even keep them if you wish."

Crushedpaw shook her head. "I could never," she meowed. "But I _will_ get these to RoseClan. I promise." Just then, Lichenpaw burst into the camp.

"We have to go. Now," she panted. "PineClan's coming. They'll be here soon."

"We can't just leave Runningbrook to die!" Crushedpaw protested.

"Please," Runningbrook mewed. "Do. I'd rather be killed then slowly have my insides eaten away. Let them come."

Crushedpaw nodded. "I'm so, _so_ sorry," she mewed, picking up the kits and bounding out of the camp after Lichenpaw.

"I feel bad about leaving," Crushedpaw mewed through the leaf bundle after they had been traveling for a while.

"I can smell the Clans," Lichenpaw announced. "The trail's fresh. They're about a day's travel away from here."

One of Runningbrook's kits mewled pitifully from within the bundle. Crushedpaw set it down and allowed the kits to crawl out. They crept toward her belly and drank her milk in large, hungry gulps.

"Save your milk," Lichenpaw ordered. "You'll need it when your kits are born."

"I'm not going to let Runningbrook's kits starve!" Crushedpaw cried.

"We should get some rest," Lichenpaw suggested, squeezing underneath a heather bush. Crushedpaw followed, carrying the kits with her. Together, the four of them quickly dozed off.

---------------------

Finally, after three days of travel, Lichenpaw and Crushedpaw saw a large mass of cats traveling away from them, over a hill.

"The Clans!" Lichenpaw exclaimed, sprinting toward them. Crushedpaw followed as quickly as she could without disturbing the kits that hung from her jaws. By this time, the kits had opened their eyes, and their ears now stuck up. Crushedpaw suspected the kits were about three moons old. Now she, too, found herself sprinting toward her Clan. Before long, they came within earshot, and Crushedpaw and Lichenpaw could hear them talking. Darkstar, the leader of VaporClan, and Stormstar, CloudClan's leader, stood at the back of the group, discussing something in hushed whispers.

"What if StarClan was wrong?" Stormstar was meowing. "What if we weren't meant to leave our homes?"  
"Cats were being killed by blackcough," Darkstar meowed. "We _had_ to leave, whether StarClan wanted us to or not. Finchstar says she knows there's a place for the Clans to live not too far from here."

"Stormstar!" Lichenpaw called suddenly, picking up her pace. "Darkstar! It's me, Lichenpaw! The medicine cat apprentice of RoseClan! Crushedpaw's here, too!"

Crushedpaw picked up her pace, too. She was tired of having Runningbrook's kits weighing her down.

"What?" Darkstar gasped in disbelief. "That's impossible! You were both kidnapped by PineClan!"

"But we're back!" Lichenpaw mewed.

"Where's Blazingheart?" Crushedpaw asked.

"RoseClan's at the head of the group," Stormstar reported. Suddenly, he yowled at the top of his lungs, and the whole group stopped in their tracks. All of them turned to face Stormstar, and several cats gasped when they saw Crushedpaw and Lichenpaw.

"Crushedpaw!" Blazingheart's voice shattered the silence. He shouldered his way through the crowd and padded up to Crushedpaw. "Are those _your_ kits?"  
Crushedpaw set the kits down gently on the ground. "No," she replied, shaking her head. "They're Runningbrook's." Blazingheart gasped. "She says she's sorry."

"Well," Blazingheart meowed, looking up to the sky. "You're forgiven, Runningbrook."

Suddenly, Finchstar and Phantomheart bounded forward.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Phantomheart snarled, glaring at his former apprentice.

"We escaped from PineClan," Lichenpaw mewed.

"Well," Finchstar announced. "We've finally reached the forest that I saw in my dreams." She turned to the Clans. "Cats of all Clans!" she yowled. "Today, two heroes have returned to us, and we have finally arrived in the forest! Now, the next thing we must do is set down borders."

The cats of RoseClan, CloudClan, and VaporClan raised their voices in joyous yowling.

_Perhaps,_ Crushedpaw thought. _Perhaps returning wasn't such a bad idea._


	19. Chapter 13

**Yayz! I don't think anyone has guessed what will happen in the next few chapters yet! One of you **_**might**_** have guessed part of it...I'm not saying who it is just yet, because I'm not sure whether or not it's going to happen.**

Chapter 13

Crushedpaw sat down, watching as the Clans organized patrols to search the area. In CloudClan, there were two patrols: The first patrol, which had Eagleclaw, Sootfeather, Swanclaw, Reedwhisker, Silverwind, and Sunfeather, was to look for a place for the CloudClan camp. The second patrol, which had Lakepaw, Opalpaw, Riverheart, Moonheart, Nightstalker, and Silentwind, was to find a place to set down the borders.

In VaporClan, they also had two patrols. The first patrol included Taintedclaw, Bleachedheart, Dappletear, Valiantwing, and Coyotestep. The second patrol only had Ivoryspot and Essencepaw in it.

In RoseClan, Streamtail, Volefur, Blazingheart, and Shadewhisker were in the first patrol. In the second patrol, there was Thorntail and Stonepath. The leaders and their deputies stayed behind to talk. But since CloudClan's deputy was on a patrol, Stormstar came without his deputy. Crushedpaw and Lichenpaw were required to join, as well.

As Crushedpaw padded up to the group, Phantomheart glared menacingly at her. Crushedpaw tried to ignore him as she sat down and curled her tail over her paws.

"So," Stormstar meowed as Lichenpaw and Crushedpaw made themselves comfortable. "We have all gathered here to decide what the Clans should do while here. Crushedpaw and Lichenpaw, two of the cats who escaped from the wrath of PineClan, have joined us, I presume, because they have some useful information. Crushedpaw? Lichenpaw?" Stormstar turned to them.

Crushedpaw cleared her throat nervously, unsure of whether or not her information could be of use. "Well," she meowed. "True to the name, PineClan was lead by Pinestar, or, as most of you know him, Pinepaw. But he was killed a few days ago by a loner named Longclaws, and a cat that I have a sort of…relationship with…took over and is now known as Shardstar."

"What kind of relationship?" Finchstar asked.

"Well," Crushedpaw replied cautiously. "I'm delivering kits in about a moon."

"Kits!" Finchstar gasped.

"Well then," Darkstar commanded. "Get on with it! We need all the information we can get!"

"I probably won't be able to tell you much more," Crushedpaw admitted. "I'd ask the loners who live near PineClan if you wanted to get all the details. But I do know a little bit of how they train their prisoners.

"There are several positions for cats in PineClan: Servants to the leader and their mate, hunters, Junior Mothers, and fighters. I presume there are more positions, but those are the only ones I know of at the moment. Also, there are places called 'Deminding Chambers' where the cats are put, and they have to repeat a word over and over again until that word had no meaning to them. I believe that, eventually, they make you forget where you come from, and what your name is, all that important stuff."

"I learned quite a bit as Pinestar's mate," Lichenpaw piped up.

Every cat turned to Lichenpaw.

"Well," Lichenpaw meowed. "There are seven regiments of warriors that live and fight for the leader and his mate: The Top Regiment, Second Regiment, Third Regiment, Fourth Regiment, Fifth Regiment, Sixth Regiment, and Seventh Regiment. It's extremely hard to get into the Top Regiment. You have to be born into PineClan, and your parents have to have completely clean histories. Then, you must spend eighteen moons in the Deminding Chambers. If you can stay there for that long without going mad, then you will have to go through training for the Regiments. Only the best fighters get chosen for the Top Regiment.

"If you are put into the Top Regiment, that means you are closest to the leader, and you spend a good amount of time with him. Only toms can enter Regiments, but sometimes, she-cats are accepted. For instance, there is a she-cat named Longclaws who was put into the Third Regiment not too long ago. She's the best fighter in PineClan, some say."

"Can you tell us anything about other higher positions?" Finchstar asked.

Lichenpaw proceeded to jabber on endlessly about all the positions she had seen and learned about, and just how PineClan's allegiances worked. She talked about the rankings, how queens were treated, just about everything was mentioned. Lichenpaw seemed to please all the leaders and deputies, because by the time Lichenpaw finished rattling off the details about the lowest position in the Clan, all the cats were purring.

"I have a plan!" Stormstar announced. Then he, Darkstar, and Finchstar huddled into a circle and whispered eagerly to each other. It seemed as though ages had passed before they all finally turned around again.

"Jasperpaw," Stormstar meowed. "Jasperpaw was taken to PineClan. He was in training to be in the Top Regiment, right?"

"Well," Lichenpaw replied. "He _was_ training to be a hunter, but I managed to convince Pinestar to switch him to fighter. When we saw how good he was, Pinestar demanded to have him train for the Top Regiment, even though he was not born into PineClan. Now, he's in the Deminding Chamber for about sixteen more moons."

"Excellent," Stormstar purred. Crushedpaw felt that Stormstar was about to announce his plan when Taintedclaw and part of his patrol bounded forward.

"Darkstar," Taintedclaw panted. "You must hurry! Dappletear is dying!"

"Dappletear!" Darkstar gasped. Dappletear and Darkstar were not only sisters, but the best of friends. They were hardly ever separated. In a heartbeat, every leader was on their paws and following Taintedclaw's patrol back into the forest. Crushedpaw and Lichenpaw followed eagerly.

Before long, Taintedclaw stopped in a clearing in the middle of a thick circle of tall pine trees. In the center of the clearing, there was a pit. Taintedclaw and Darkstar darted over to the edge of the pit. Darkstar wailed mournfully and drew back. Crushedpaw padded slowly over to Darkstar's side, afraid of what she might find.

Crushedpaw recoiled at what she saw. At the bottom of the pit lay Dappletear. Her body was bent in half, her muzzle was crooked, and one of her paws had a bone sticking out of it.

_Wow,_ Crushedpaw thought. _She looks worse than I do!_

"Dappletear!" Darkstar cried desperately. "Dappletear, please, speak to me! Please, tell me you're still alive!"

Taintedclaw shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Darkstar," he meowed. "She fell off the edge of the pit. She hit a few really sharp rocks on the way down."

As soon as the words escaped the deputy's lips, Crushedpaw noticed a few spears of rock sticking out of the sides of the pit. They were stained with blood.

Darkstar hung her head, curling up in a ball on the forest floor. "Goodbye, Dappletear," she mewed softly.


	20. Yet Another Update Important

**Dear fans,**

**I may find difficulty updating for the next month or so, because my sister, Blazonedheart – Ashfur's Love, is in the hospital with brain cancer, and I need to be there for her. So, I'm terribly sorry if I don't update for a while.**

**Sincerely,**

**Amber**


	21. It's on Hiatus!

**Yeah, this is another update. I'm just not feeling the flow for this story at the moment, probably because I haven't updated in a LOOOONG time. Anyway, this story is on hiatus until I can get that vibe back. Maybe spending a week in the country will give me back some inspiration. Good thing I'm going there. So, yeah. Sorry if I'm letting any of you guys down. There's a poll on my page. Vote and tell me whether or not you want me to continue this. Adios!**


	22. Chapter 14

**Hey, guys. Sorry it's been so long. I've recently become obsessed with David Cook from American Idol, and I've been spending a few weeks balled up in a corner, rocking back and forth repeating his name. Well, maybe it didn't go that far, but it got pretty bad. Ask my friends, and they will tell you. Anyway, I'm unable to log on to my AI account for some reason, so I decided to update! Hooray! -throws confetti- Sorry if this chapter isn't too great. My mind may drift...**

Chapter 14

It had been three days since the death of Dappletear. The whole time, Darkstar did not move from the edge of the hole, and Taintedclaw did not leave his leader's side. By now, all the patrols from each Clan had returned to where they had started to report to their leaders. Since Darkstar and Taintedclaw were not available, Phantomheart was given all the information about VaporClan's territory.

Now, the sun was just rising, streaking the sky with blasts of reds, oranges, and pinks. Crushedpaw opened her eyes and looked about her. She had not been able to sleep very much that night, and so she had decided to keep watch. Apparently, she had fallen asleep around the time when the moon was just setting, because that was the last thing she remembered about night watch. She felt Lichenpaw pressed up against her side, her cold fur flat against her sides.

The sudden rustle of bushes startled Crushedpaw, causing her to jump in the air. As quickly as she could, without thinking, she grabbed Lichenpaw by the scruff and dragged her into the nearest bush. Together, the two cats crouched in deathly silence, Crushedpaw peering through the branches, fear alight in her eyes. Phantomheart stepped into the clearing a heartbeat later, with two muscular CloudClan cats flanking him. The three of them were whispering so softly that Crushedpaw could not make out a single word at first, but soon, the three cats snuck closer to the bush where Crushedpaw and Lichenpaw hid, and sat down right next to it. Crushedpaw held her breath, not daring to even breathe.

"So when's the raid gonna take place?" one of the CloudClan cats, who Crushedpaw recognized as Eagleclaw, asked.

"At the next rainfall," Phantomheart replied. "I can smell it on the horizon. If we're lucky, it should start raining at moonrise. It'll be pitch black. Then, we strike."

"But what if they hear us?" the second CloudClan cat fretted.

"Then we'll still strike," Phantomheart replied. "Taintedclaw and Darkstar are defenseless in their state of greif, and Darkstar's only got two lives left. If we get rid of both of them, then the rest of their Clan is ours for the taking!"

"Brilliant, Phantomheart!" the second cat cried.

"Silence, Reedwhisker!" Eagleclaw hissed. "They'll hear you!"

"If they hear us," Phantomheart meowed menacingly. "We kill them. We will show no mercy."

A sudden rustle in the bushes alerted the three cats. Essencepaw and Amberpaw of VaporClan stepped into the clearing. Without a second thought, the three warriors charged at them, their eyes glinting maliciously. Crushedpaw looked on in horror as the three strong toms brutally attacked the two tiny she-cats, barely giving them a chance to cry out. In a moment, they were dead.

"We have to get rid of the bodies," Phantomheart meowed.

Crushedpaw tucked her head under her paws, refusing to see or hear anything else. _I knew it,_ she thought. _I had always known Phantomheart was capable of something like this! But how do I stop it? How?_ Crushedpaw knew that she couldn't confide in Lichenpaw, who was still thin and weak from hunger. And Finchstar had no reason to believe her. Oh, if only Mossflower were still alive! Surely she would listen! Crushedpaw rose to her paws, and was just about to head out to find someone who would listen to her, when suddenly, a gruff voice cried out.

"Hey!" It was Phantomheart. Crushedpaw looked up to find the deputy standing over her. "Where do you think you're going?"


	23. Chapter 15

-1**OK, I'm gonna wrap this story up. There WILL be a sequel, and it should be coming your way soon!**

**P.S. If you read the sneak peaks for the next five books on my page, I've totally changed the plot, so please don't refer to those. I'll re-type 'em later. Also, sorry for the shortness of this chapter. I'm VERY sleepy.**

Chapter 15

Crushedpaw couldn't remember much of what happened after that. All she could recall was that she was flying through the air, there was much pain, and now she was here, in the middle of the forest. The moon was high in the sky, resting just above a thin strip of pale, fluffy cloud. Crushedpaw lifted her head, and cried out in pain as she felt something tighten around her throat. She looked down to find herself in a thorn bush. She struggled to her paws. Thorns dug into every part of her body. Her pads stung. She didn't care. Cringing, she pushed her way through the tangled mass of thorns. Her stomach convulsed. She fell to the ground in agony, more thorns meeting her at the ground.

"Help me," Crushedpaw whispered hoarsely into the night sky.

"She's over here!" a voice cried suddenly. "I can smell her!"

"Lichenpaw?" Crushedpaw called. Just then, Lichenpaw, along with Nightstalker and Ivoryspot, came bounding over to the thorn bush in which Crushedpaw lay.

"The kits are coming!" Lichenpaw cried. "Crushedpaw, don't move a muscle! We brought herbs!"

Crushedpaw lay there in fierce pain as the three medicine cats began working. A few times, one of them would give Crushedpaw a command, such as, "Push harder!" or "Eat these!" Crushedpaw obeyed numbly. The pain was too strong for her to handle. Suddenly, Lichenpaw cried out.

"A kit!" she cried. "Crushedpaw! It's a kit! You had a kit!" A few moments later, Lichenpaw repeated her cries of joy.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Lichenpaw asked eagerly as Ivoryspot and Nightstalker bent over Crushedpaw.

"She's lost too much blood," Ivoryspot replied sadly. "She might not have lost so much blood if Phantomheart hadn't attacked her so brutally."

"Lichenpaw," Crushedpaw whispered, lifting her head. Lichenpaw darted to her friend's side eagerly. Crushedpaw moaned softly. "Take care of the kits," she whispered.

"You have to at least name them!" Lichenpaw urged.

Crushedpaw looked down at her two kits. She pointed to the firstborn, a small brown tabby she-cat. "Name her Sparrowkit," she meowed. "The other is Honeykit."

"I won't let you leave me!" Lichenpaw insisted. "You have to take care of your kits!"

Crushedpaw shook her head slowly. "Find PineClan," she whispered. "Destroy them. Please." As soon as the last words escaped her mouth, the she-cat's gnarled face fell to the ground, her eyes closed, and her flanks ceased to move. Death had taken over one more innocent life.


	24. Epilogue

-1**Epilogue! This chappie is told from Lichenpaw's POV.**

Epilogue

It had been two nights since the death of Crushedpaw. She had been buried the day before. Now, her kits rested with Silverbrook's in the makeshift nursery in the clearing in which all the cats from every Clan slept. I had been given my medicine cat name, Lichenfur, but, as there was no one to escort me all the way back to the Dew Tree, I was not an official medicine cat. For this reason, I was unable to look after Honeykit and Sparrowkit. Silverbrook resented having to nurse Crushedpaw's kits, and often complained about the burden they were. Yesterday, before Phantomheart was sentenced to death, he had confessed to being involved with PineClan. Now, there was an attack to be staged. And the attack was planned to be launched that night, two nights after the death of the heroic Crushedpaw.

The patrols sent to fight had already left, and I was told to stay behind and help Nightstalker look for herbs. As we plodded through the murky darkness, my mind raced. What if the Clan did not accept Crushedpaw's kits? Did Crushedpaw go to StarClan? Would Honeykit and Sparrowkit have a future? I was about to ask Nightstalker something, when she turned to me.

"Lichenpaw," she meowed gently in her raspy voice. "I'm sorry about Crushedpaw. I know it must be hard for you. But I'm sure she's in a much better place now. It would be nice if she could have been a warrior. If I were the leader of RoseClan, I would have given her the name Crushedsoul."

"She's not Crushedsoul," I meowed. "She's Bravesoul."

**Grrr…Writer's block, writer's block, writer's block! I really wish I could have made this longer, but my train of thought kind of stopped here. Anyway, the second book should be released sometime later today or tomorrow afternoon. I'm gonna listen to my iPod for some inspiration. Please, lemme know what you think!**


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